Studio Arts Course Listings

SA 224 Two-Dimensional Design (3.00 cr.)

In this course students learn the essential elements of design through hands-on creation of artworks and verbal/written expressions of design concepts. Composition is addressed through employing the Elements of Art (line, shape, value, color, texture, and space) in combination with the Principles of Design (including movement, harmony, scale, and contrast). Students work with a range of media and learn to solve creative problems that include drawing, painting and collage. Fulfills the Fine Arts core requirement. Prerequisite for most Studio Arts courses. Requirement for Visual Arts majors and Studio Arts minors.

SA 225 Drawing (3.00 cr.)

Through the coordination of hand and eye students learn to draw in a manner that mirrors visual reality as well as to compose fully realized works that involve one’s imagination. Basic drawing principles and techniques are explored through line and tone in graphite, felt-tip pens, charcoal and pastel on paper. Requirement for Visual Arts majors with a concentration in Studio Arts and Studio Arts minors.

SA 303 Life Drawing (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA225 or written permission of the instructor.

This course is a comprehensive introduction to the concepts and techniques for realistically and expressively drawing the human form. Skeletal and muscle sketches familiarize students with the structure of human anatomy leading to drawings of nude models. Media includes graphite, charcoal, ink and pastel on paper.

SA 304 Drawing with Color (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA225 or written permission of the instructor. Color as a vehicle for drawing and composing expressive imagery using colored pencils and inks. Subject matter drawn from nature and man-made forms. (Formerly SA301)

SA 310 Introduction to Painting (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or written permission of the instructor. An introduction to basic painting techniques and theory. Students work both from life and conceptually.

SA 311 Watercolor (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or SA225. An exploration of the techniques of watercolor painting. Through various projects involving composition, perspective, color theory, and creative experimentation, landscape, still life, figure, and abstraction take on a new meaning. (Formerly SA328)

SA 312 Abstract Painting (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224. Students become familiar with the traditions of abstraction, including Cubism, Neoplasticism, Abstract Expressionism, Color Field Painting, and Minimalism, and will create original works that focus on form, color, and texture. Through a series of painting explorations, critiques, field trips, and examinations of work by well-known abstract artists, students gain a better understanding of what is meant by "content in abstraction."

SA 313 Painting: Portraits and the Figure (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224. Using the technique of painting in a single sittlng ("alla prima" or "wet into wet") students will learn to paint the human face and figure working from life. The course will cover preparing grounds and supports, understanding the tools, techniques and concepts of life painting. Students will be encouraged to experiment and to emphasize the tactile quality of paint, concentration and keen observation.

SA 315 Landscape (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224. Explores drawing and painting the landscape. Deals with naturalistic ideas, light being a primary concern. Students improve drawing and painting skills and media, including oil, as they work in the classroom and at locations around the Loyola community. Slide lectures and a museum visit supplement outdoor sessions. (Formerly SA300)

SA 321 Printmaking: Relief and Intaglio (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or SA225 or written permission of instructor. Students are introduced to the materials, techniques, concepts, and equipment used in relief and intaglio printing methods, including linocut, woodcut, acid-free etching, and/or collagraph (sealed collage plates); processes may be mixed. Both water- and oil-based black and white and color inks are used. Prior drawing or painting experience is recommended.

Prerequisite: SA224 or SA225 or written permission of the instructor. An introduction to the materials, techniques, concepts, and equipment used in planographic and stencil printing methods. The nontraditional lithographic method uses images that are exposed on light-sensitive polyester and lithography plates that can be printed uniquely, in multiple layers, and in editions. Silkscreen allows the printing of solid colors through hand-cut stencils mounted on fabric.

SA 323 Printmaking: Alternative Processes (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or written permission of the instructor. An introduction to the materials, techniques, concepts, and equipment used in the practice of printmaking, with an emphasis on mixed media methods and monotype--the closest printmaking form to painting. Processes that can be done without a press and some transfer methods are included. Water- and oil-based, black and white, and color inks are used. Some prior drawing or painting experience is recommended.

SA 342 Drawing from Observation (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA225 or written permission of the instructor.

Through class work and independent assignments, the nature of observation and representation are the critical focus of this course. Working with a variety of drawing materials and conceptual formats, students explore subject matter and narrative with an emphasis upon observation. In successive projects designed to cultivate technical competence and conceptual autonomy, this course challenges students to develop a personal approach to space, form, composition and content.

SA 343 Drawing: A Conceptual Approach (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA225 or written permission of the instructor.

For conceptual artists the idea of a work of art matters as much–if not more–than its physical identity. In this course students will learn to produce drawings intended to convey an idea using both traditional and non-traditional media. Various artists’ works that have influenced this art movement will be studied as inspiration for students’ creative solutions to assigned problems.

SA 352 Collage, Assemblage, and the Found Object (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224. Through the use of found and altered materials, students are led from varied technical approaches for creating collages on/of paper through a range of conceptual approaches to design and content. Includes the altering and constructing of relief and three-dimensional, preexisting materials into works of art (assemblages and found object sculpture). Art historical references coincide with the projects. A field trip to gather odd ephemera and inexpensive objects that can be "repurposed" is included.

SA/PT 353 & CM 349 Book Arts and Artists' Books (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or written permission of the instructor. Students are introduced to the materials, techniques, concepts, and equipment used in the craft of making traditional and nontraditional books. They learn folding, stitching, enclosing, and binding methods while creating three-dimensional works that literally or metaphorically reference the structure of books and address contemporary ideas about visual content. Same course as PT353. (Formerly SA340)

SA 354 Mixed Media: Drawing and Painting (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224. Through research and projects, students learn to combine traditional drawing and painting techniques with various media including wood, metal, photography, and collage.

SA 355 Mixed Media Color (3.00 cr.) (was 314)

Prerequisite: SA 224. Color theory will be investigated through multiple mediums, including colored pencils, colored felt tip markers, chalk pastels, oil pastels, various kinds of ink, paint and painting methods, collage and instillation, using found and created materials. Students will come to an understanding of color relationships and interdependencies, as well as their effects on form, placement and saturation.

SA/PT/CM 360 Digital Mixed Media (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or written permission of the instructor. A combination studio and digital photography course in which the computer is used as a tool and an integral part of the creative process, but work is achieved through mixed media studio methods. Two- and three-dimensional projects may include installation and/or virtual works that exist only on the Internet. Some prior computer experience is recommended. Same course as PT 360 and CM 360. (Formerly SA 339)

SA 361 Digital Image (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: PT270 or SA224. Examines the ways in which the computer and various software programs can be used to modify and enhance an image as a visual statement for artistic and photojournalistic use. Same course as PT361.

SA/PT/CM 364 Contemporary Digital Art (3.00 cr.)

Students taking this course will gain an understanding of contemporary artists focusing on new media, while developing their own digital art practice. Video, animation, sound, web-based artwork, 3-D, interactivity and other media practices will also be addressed. Classes will consist of research, discussion, studio projects, critiques and written work.

SA 365 Clay (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or SA366. This course emphasizes creativity and honesty in design through hand building with clay. Students learn to make original works of glazed clayware and small sculptures using slab, coil, relief and mold methods.

SA 366 Three-Dimensional Design (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: SA224 or written permission of the instructor.

This course explores the sculptural process and fundamental strategies of three-dimensional form and design. Students learn to recognize and employ the elements that create a three-dimensional work of art, defining those principles in a variety of media. Students are encouraged to discover new methodologies of visual thinking that reflect the interdisciplinary nature of art today. The problem-solving nature of this course includes both conceptual and observations-based assignments. Students’ three-dimensional artworks are developed in the classroom and from their sketchbooks.

SA 367 Public Art (3.00 cr.)

This course is an examination of the field of public art. Beginning with an investigation of the theoretical context of public art, students will learn the controversial history of artworks and monuments in public spaces. We will also meet with community partners in the city of Baltimore and collaboratively determine the details of a public art project. Then we will develop a series of drawings, models, digital mock-ups and written proposals for this larger public art project. Accepted proposals will then be created and installed in the final phase of the class.

SA/PT 400 Professional Practices for Artists (3.00 cr.)

This seminar introduces practical and philosophical issues that bridge the role of an art student to that of a professional working artist. Students produce a CD of digital images of their artwork with accompanying professional materials aimed at being able to participate in the art world in some form upon graduation. Students enter at least one exhibition, mat and frame an artwork and attend at least one opening reception for an exhibition off-campus.

SA 402 Special Topics in Studio Arts (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: Written or electronic permission of the instructor. An intensive study of an area of studio art that is not regularly offered as a course. May be repeated for credit with different topics.

SA 412 Senior Project in Studio Arts (3.00 cr.)

Prerequisite: Senior standing and written or electronic permission of the department. Students develop an advanced project under the direction of a faculty member. Work on the project continues throughout both semesters of the student's senior year. Proposals for senior projects must be approved by the fine arts faculty during the spring semester of the student's junior year.